This is a guest post by Nick Dekker. Columbus’ rich breakfast culture inspired Nick to begin writing about breakfast in 2007 on his popular blog, Breakfast with Nick. He is the author of a book by the same name, THE guide to breakfast destinations in Columbus, which you can purchase here. You can follow Nick on Twitter at @BreakfastwNick
Depending on the day, it might feel like winter or it might feel like spring’s arrived early. Technically, it’s winter, and by the calendar we’re deep into the cold months of the year. That means it’s hard to get out bed every morning, especially on the weekends. And that means you need some incentive to crawl out from under the covers. Might I suggest brunch and booze? How better to warm yourself than with a mixed plate of breakfast and lunch, along with something sparkly, fizzy, and spiked? Here are three excuses to get yourself up and out until spring is upon us.
Jury Room
You can rely on any of the Columbus Food League restaurants to offer a creative brunch menu along with a well-chosen line-up of craft beers, local spirits, and interesting mixers. The newest addition to the team, Jury Room, lets you cozy up around the fireplace to munch on a menu of burgers, brisket and eggs, hoagies, and a pile of scrambles (most of which are vegetarian or vegan). Their cocktail menu offers a full swing of warming winter drinks, from a Hot Toddy to an OYO Maple Sour. Jury Room goes beyond the usual line-up of champagne and orange juice mimosas by switching up some of the ingredients. You can go traditional, yes, but have a little fun by mixing sparkly champagne with peach, grapefruit, cranberry, or just straight-up bitters, or even a Madrosa with cranberry and OJ.
http://juryroomcolumbus.com
Hang Over Easy
As the name indicates, Hang Over Easy is designed to help the partying college students recover from an eventful weekend night. Their bright blue painted brick storefront can be found on Neil Avenue right across from the OSU Medical Center; the restaurant serves as a hangout for students, employees, and neighbors alike. The draw is big plates of breakfast served all day. The menu features spicy-named dishes like the Menage a Trois, Dirty Sanchez, and the Sloppy Seconds. If you can get past the names, you’ll find piles of comfort food: Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, corned beef hash, French toast, and omelets. They serve drinks at all hours, including a couple rotating beer taps ($1 PBRs are always available); the current line-up includes Elevator Brewery’s Winter Warmer. Plus Hang Over Easy gives you all the brunch favorites like mimosas and screwdrivers, and just about any other well drink you can think of.
http://hangovereasy.com
161 Diner
161 is the diner counter inside the Dublin Whole Foods. During the week they serve up diner favorites like burgers, fries, and shakes, but on the weekends you can grab a seat at the counter to feast on big dishes like turkey and sweet potato hash, chocolate chip pancakes, and eggs benedict with prosciutto. Although Whole Foods probably doesn’t condone drunk shopping, you can enjoy a comfortable break from grocery-getting to enjoy brunch and a drink. The diner keeps a couple beers on tap (currently Yeungling and Elevator’s IPA). There’s also red and white wine by the glass, or popular mimosas and Proscecco. And sitting at the counter offers a good chance to people-watch amongst all the busy weekend shoppers.
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/columbus/in-store-dining/
Homepage photo Creative Commons Photo Credit: Jenn Larsen
